The fireplace, a framed opening in a chimney which holds an open fire, has long been the focal point for indoor gatherings of family and friends. The primary benefits of an indoor fire are its beauty and warmth. However, an improperly maintained fireplace may present a fire hazard as well as allow large amounts of heat loss up the chimney in the winter and cool air loss in the summer. A well-constructed fireplace enclosure not only adds to the beauty and warmth of the room in which it is installed, but acts as a protective barrier for family, pets, and the interior of the home from the fire hazards associated with fireplaces. It can also assist in substantially decreasing heat and air loss up the chimney as well as eliminating smokey rooms and fireplaces.
Although fireplace enclosures have been manufactured for many years, the known prior art has several problems associated with it. Prior fireplace enclosures include a frame the various metal components of which are die stamped and then bent, folded and otherwise shaped and then connected together by numerous fasteners to form the desired structure. Such a process necessarily entails large amounts of time and high costs in order to achieve the desired result. Additionally, it is necessary to manufacture a separate stamping die for each component of the frame which is time consuming and expensive. Further, once the stamping dies are manufactured, they can be used to produce only one size of component for the enclosure frame. Therefore, if a different size fireplace enclosure is desired, new stamping dies must be made to those specifications even if the design of the enclosure is exactly the same. Also, the framed firebox openings in chimneys are as varied as the buildings in which they are installed. Therefore, in order to serve a wide range of customers, a company is forced to manufacture stamping dies of many sizes for a single enclosure model, multiplied by the number of models in a company's product line. Such practices are inefficient and expensive.
Many of the known prior art fireplace enclosures also lack the structural rigidity that is required to provide a safe and efficient enclosure. Another problem in prior enclosures is the lack of a device that securely retains a glass panel in the fireplace door frame while at the same time facilitating easy installation of the glass in the frame at the assembly plant. Further, many prior fireplace enclosures have doors that are easily opened by small children and that after a period of time will sag, that are difficult to clean and repair because they are permanently mounted on the enclosure frame, and that do not glide easily along their tracks when opened and closed. Finally, many fireplace enclosures have unnecessary equipment such as separate draft diverters which increase the cost of the unit while adding little to its functionality.
There is no prior art fireplace enclosure of which we are aware which provides as safe, sturdy, energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing enclosure as that of our invention, and which can be produced in a cost-effective manner for a wide range of sizes to match the variety of firebox opening sizes.